Hi all, as the title says will it fit. The back story here is very simple and short, basically I have been looking for a Sears snow blower for the SS15 for ever and they are not to be found in this neck of the woods, craftmans yes but mostly later model stuff for the light steel /plastic machines of the newer years. I want the SS15 to be jack of all trades for the jobs I need done with quick attach set ups using the same mounting for the snow blade and snow blower (I am Lazy lol)

The snow blade is more or less done apart from some small jobs like a belt guard and grinding a tab to allow the blade to drop below grade level and paint.

I have been keeping an eye open on market place adds and came across a possible snow blower that I think can be fitted with all goals in mind. It is a John Deere 38A snow blower for their 200 series tractors, the belt drive is off to one side which will make it easier to utilize the crank pulley. I may get a lot of grief for the sinful act marrying different brands but the tractor is not stock and nothing is permanent. With some improvements with the flapper mod and a smaller sprocket on the blower and taller chute the single stage should perform Ok

Any way here is some pics then you will know what I am rambling on about.

Every thing is still in a mock up stage but getting closer to weld time, I am using the custom frame to mount it all, nothing is welded to the tractor, the winch still needs to be moved higher and over yet.

Well I bought a Cub blower that had been converted to work on a 300 series JD. It does work and itís been painted yellow so it looks like it belongs there. With the right tools and some scrap metal you can make anything work.

I would suggest spending extra time figuring out a good spot for the winch control. You'll use it a fair amount, and it'll get annoying if you have to reach for it, or shift how you sit to work it, and that you can do it with your winter clothing on (mitts/gloves, parka, snow pants).

It made a world of difference for me, when I moved the winch control for my plow from where it was easy to install (clamped to a tube near the hand controls of my Snapper Hydro walkbehind), to making a custom mount so I can work it without having to move my hands from the control levers.

I would suggest spending extra time figuring out a good spot for the winch control. You'll use it a fair amount, and it'll get annoying if you have to reach for it, or shift how you sit to work it, and that you can do it with your winter clothing on (mitts/gloves, parka, snow pants).

It made a world of difference for me, when I moved the winch control for my plow from where it was easy to install (clamped to a tube near the hand controls of my Snapper Hydro walkbehind), to making a custom mount so I can work it without having to move my hands from the control levers.

Good idea, at the moment it is on the dash under where my left hand would be on the steering wheel.

Got a bit more done today, fabbed up the mounts and tack welded them on and relocated the winch and did a test lift. It had no troubles going up or down even with the plates just tack welded, winch was pretty quick too. I then squeezed on the John Deere belt (It was a tight fit) which I will order one size larger and ran the engine, the auger really spins pretty quick at full throttle and blows a lot of air out the chute. The belt in the pic is a 'B' belt which I used just for alignment purposes, I have gone to a "A" Belt.

Next is to make the new light mounts and work on the chute adjuster, there are also little jobs needed like tweak the exhaust mount or remake it slightly and I want to put an idler pulley on the top belt that is adjustable up and down. I need to make the chute flapper modx2 and lengthen the chute, later I will replace the crank pulley with individual pulleys and install an electric clutch for the blower. Then to tear it all down for full welds and paint.

Interesting choice to fit. Are the John deere blowers that good, or is it something you had and wanted to make it work?

One I still want to do, is to set up a newer craftsman 2 stage snowblower work on a suburban. I have seen it done, using a standard mower deck PTO mule drive, and the whole lift setup and drive pulleys from the craftsman blower. I am just waiting to find one cheap enough to warrant the swap. 2 stage blowers being more modern have more parts available, and throw snow so much farther.

Interesting choice to fit. Are the John deere blowers that good, or is it something you had and wanted to make it work?

One I still want to do, is to set up a newer craftsman 2 stage snowblower work on a suburban. I have seen it done, using a standard mower deck PTO mule drive, and the whole lift setup and drive pulleys from the craftsman blower. I am just waiting to find one cheap enough to warrant the swap. 2 stage blowers being more modern have more parts available, and throw snow so much farther.

Well I knew I would not probably find a sears snow blower here so I started looking at any local blowers that look like that could be fitted without a lot of fabrication. The JD blower is very similar to the Sears with the pulley to the side and being a single stage, single stage blowers get a bad rap, they work fine and in some cases better depending on mods and snow conditions. Parts are simple and this blower was in pretty good condition, if my Auger speed is high enough then I think it will suffice, I can still go to a smaller sprocket on the blower to get more rpm's. I have a hand held tach coming to test rpms.

I had a chance to get a craftman 2 stage with cable adjusters in nice near new condition retail price of $1200 for $375 but missed out on it, now that would have been a good one!!

Got a bit more done over the weekend, front bracket and attachment finished. Actually nothing has been tightened yet, it just mocked up, next is to start on the blower itself. I got the hand held tach today and did a quick check on the engine pulley speed, at idle it was 1500rpm (rounded off) and max throttle was 3500rpm but I do have some extra throttle not being used because I need to readjust the throttle cable so the max rpm maybe more yet. Thanks for looking.

Hi all, I got it all back together so I could do some initial testing of the rpms at the auger and that everything works well. The readings I got so far at the auger is 1370rpm roughly (stock is 900) at this stage, I will take more to be accurate because I took the chain guard cover off the blower and things got interesting. What I found was the sprocket set up is far from stock, looks like the PO already has done some sprocket swapping, the main sprocket is 18 teeth (stock is about 40) and a roller has been added to allow for the smaller gear, the chain looks beefier as well. I will leave it I think and see how it performs since it obviously has been used like that with no damage and I can always replace the sprocket and chain later, I might post this finding in the JD forum and see what their take on this is. Anyway here some pics and thanks for looking.

Some progress, got the blower stripped and all rust sanded, some red oxide and paint on the inside (it is now a Sears snow blower) , will wait to dry then take it off the tractor and flip it over to finish the other side........it is coming along. It came apart real easy too, bearings seem OK, I was getting some play in the auger from a worn shaft key so I brought a new key to put in when the time comes to assemble.

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